The VA disability claim backlog has grown by 30,000 cases since last fall. After staying around 70,000 cases a year, the backlog reached over 100,000 at the beginning of March. The VA says this is because in the last few months it has seen an unexpected number of new cases. Officials at the VA insist […]
Archives for March 2017
Calls for “Hiring Surge” to Tackle VA Backlog
The VA’s backlog of appeals is continuing to quickly grow again. Veterans wait an average of 5 years for appeals processing, but at the current rate that wait time may jump to 8.5 years warns the VA. The VA’s goal is to resolve claims within one year by 2021, but it needs more staff. The […]
VA Appeals Process Reform Proposed in New Senate Bill
A new bill introduced in the U.S. Senate proposes VA appeals process reform that should speed up the appeal process. Senator Tim Kaine says the new bill would simplify and improve the current process. The bill is virtually identical to the one introduced in the last session of congress that failed to pass. The proposed […]
Choosing an Attorney Representative for VA Appeals Can Increase the Chance of Success by Over 16%
Recently, our blog explained why securing representation for your disability claim makes the process easier. Now is a suitable time to examine whether some representatives are more effective at winning claims than others. Choosing an attorney representative for VA appeals can increase the chance of success and assist in navigating the complexity of the appeals […]
The importance of Lay Evidence
One of the most powerful tools to use in building a case is “lay evidence.” We often obtain lay evidence in the process of building up a veteran’s appeal—in fact, it is often one of the starting points. It tells the VA and us, exactly what the veteran is going through now, or has gone […]
VA Begins Accepting VA Disability Claims for Camp Lejeune Contamination
On Tuesday, March 14, 2017 the VA’s new presumptive service connection for certain diseases and exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune went into effect. The VA has started accepting disability claims for Camp Lejeune contamination exposure. Veterans, Reservists, and National Guard members who were stationed in Camp Lejeune from August 1st, 1953 to December […]